Georgia Marine: Shabrica Wadley volunteers across the world

Photo By Lance Cpl. Kelcey Seymour | CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan – Lance Cpl. Shabrica Wadley poses for a photo Sept.12 aboard Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan. Wadley has a drive to volunteer. Since being stationed on Okinawa earlier this year, she has found a multitude of programs and events to volunteer with. She enjoys volunteering with the Okinawa Stray Pet Rescue, exercising the animals and taking them to adoption events. Wadley, an Adrian, Georgia, native, is a motor vehicle operator with 3rd Transportation Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Kelcey Seymour)  

JAPAN

09.07.2017

Story by Pfc. Kelcey Seymour 

Marine Corps Installations Pacific

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan – Lance Cpl. Shabrica Wadley had a driving passion for volunteering before the Marine Corps and now aboard her first duty station on Okinawa, Japan, she can continue to satisfy that passion with the many volunteer opportunities available to Marines.

Wadley, an Adrian, Georgia, native, is a motor transportation with 3rd Transportation Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force whose passion for volunteering stems from hardships she faced years before.

“At different points in your life you can struggle,” said Wadley. “I became homeless in 2013. I think back on hard times and how much help I received from people that got me through that struggle and I see how much it did.”

Wadley was first stationed on Okinawa earlier this year. Since then, she has jumped headfirst into any volunteering opportunity offered. She participates in on-base and off-base clean ups on weekends, and regularly volunteers with the Okinawa Stray Pet Rescue.

According to Wadley, it does not matter if a person only has an hour to give, that hour matters. Marines are guests on Okinawa and volunteering an hour of time to clean up a beach shows appreciation for the local community. Everyone should take time out of their days to give a little back.

“Not only does Lance Cpl. Wadley show a positive attitude towards volunteering, but every time she volunteers, she brings another Marine along with her,” said Cpl. Gary Jackson, a calibration technician with 3rd Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 35, 3rd MLG, III MEF. “Her drive betters herself and sets an example for her peers to follow.”

Jackson is not only Wadley’s cousin but he also goes to her for volunteering opportunities so that they may volunteer together.
Wadley also volunteers with a program called Elevate, a free program that encourages Marines and sailors to get out of the barracks and find alternative ways to have fun. She also wants to start volunteering at the library after work and crochet blankets for disaster relief programs.

“I truly feel that everyone should give a little back,” said Wadley. “I just want to go beyond the couple hours a weekend. Volunteering is my drive in life. I don’t see a time in my future where I’m not doing it.”

• Date Taken: 09.07.2017
• Date Posted: 09.19.2017 01:35
• Story ID: 248632
• Location: JP